The parent education team from the Russellville School District, operating through funding from a Safe Schools, Healthy Students grant, has been nominated for the Calvin Johnson Excellence in Education Award sponsored by the Arkansas Parenting Education Network.

"I'm thrilled," Carol Lee, project director for Safe Schools, Healthy Students, said. "I can't think of a more deserving group. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to have them recognized for their work."

Members of the Safe Schools, Healthy Students team from Russellville work in various aspects of parent education and involvement. Some work as parent center coordinators in various school buildings, while others teach parenting classes.

"They are a very hard-working group and have been extremely flexible," Lee said. "They have done a great job of reaching out to parents, connecting with them and helping bring them into the classrooms and into activities on the school campuses."

Lee said more than 100 parents from the Russellville area are currently enrolled in parenting classes.

"This team has done a lot to bring many parents on campus," Lee said. "They have also been very instrumental in developing and helping the Parent Institute take place.

"I just couldn't think of a better group for this award."

The Russellville School District is in its final year of the Safe Schools, Healthy Students grant, but Lee said she and other members of the team are actively looking for similar grants that would allow parenting programs to continue in the district.

"I hope an honor like this will help us secure additional funding," Lee said. "I also hope it brings a lot of positive publicity to the Russellville School District and to the work the district is doing to bring parents into the schools.

"I hope it highlights the strong commitment the Russellville School District has made to involve parents in the everyday activities."

The Russellville team is one of three finalists for the award. Other finalists are the Parent Teacher Association of the Martin Luther King Interdistrict Magnet School in Little Rock and the 21st Century School Program of the Batesville School District.

The Calvin Johnson Excellence in Education Award is given to an organization that has made a significant contribution to education through parent involvement.

The Arkansas Parenting Education Network is a membership organization for those who work in some way to help parents effectively and appropriately interact with their children.

The Calvin Johnson Award, along with the APEN Parent Educator of the Year Award, will be presented on April 5 as part of the Seventh Annual Arkansas Conference for Parent Educators.

The conference is sponsored by the Arkansas Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board and Center for Effective Parenting, with additional support from the Arkansas Department of Education, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas Headstart State Collaboration Project, Arkansas Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, and Centers for Youth & Families - The Parent Center, and Practical Parenting Partnerships.